KALAMAZOO, MI -- A 1928 Ford Tri-Motor plane, similar to the one depicted in the plane crash scene of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” will offer public flights this weekend.

The plane is offering rides from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 11, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 12, through Sunday, July 14, from the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.

Adult tickets were available in advance on the event website for $72 each. Online booking has closed, according to the website, but walk-up tickets are still available for $77. Tickets for children 17 and under are $52. Those interested can call 920-379-8339 or visit to check current availability.

Each trip is about 30 minutes with 15 minutes in the air, according to the event page. People can stop by and view the aircraft for free.

“This is a big piece of history,” 15-year-old Kalamazoo student Eli Harris said after a 2 p.m. flight. “As an aviation enthusiast, you really have to check it out.”

The flight helped show Harris how far aviation has come since the 1920s, he said. Harris is a student at the Plainwell Aviation and STEM Academy, where he is studying to become a pilot.

The 1928 Ford Tri-Motor is known as one of the first luxury airliners, according to the event website. Less than 200 of these planes were made from 1925 to 1933. It was designed for commercial aviation, but also used in military operations to transport goods, according to the Ford Tri-Motor website.

The plane’s wingspan is 77 feet and 6 inches. It cruises at 122 mph, according to a fact sheet from the Experimental Aviation Association. The plane visiting Kalamazoo this weekend was originally used to take passengers on Boulder Dam tours, according to the fact sheet.

On tour this summer, other upcoming flight opportunities aboard the plane include stops in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Funds raised during the Ford Tri-Motor tour cover maintenance costs to keep the aircraft’s condition, the website said.

Call 920-379-8339 to contact the local airport hangar for more information about the flights.